The Giraffe is the tallest of mammals. They are specially adapted for reaching plants herbivores can’t reach. When giraffes’ heads are elevated, lowered, or swung rapidly, they have incredibly elastic blood vessels, and their specially modified valves reduce the rapid accumulation of blood (to keep from fainting). The “horns” are simple knobs above the eyes, which are covered by the skin, which hair and protect the head from harm. Their necks are comprised of an equal number of vertebrae (seven). However, their bones are extended, which results in an average length of 2.4 meters.
What do Giraffes eat?
Giraffes are herbivores and are omnivores and eat an omnivore diet of plants. Leaves of the Acacia or mimosa tree are their most preferred food source. However, they also consume different seeds, leaf buds, tree branches, and grass. Research indicates that giraffes can consume as much as 88% of fresh Acacia shoots!
They are referred to as to be grazers and not browsers. This means they consume high vegetation instead of grass and lower vegetation. A giraffe’s diet is easy, but they’ve developed to be more efficient in how they eat.
Giraffes also eat and chew on the bones of other animals to gain the nutrition their bodies lack. This is known as osteophagy, which means that bones are chewed, sucked into, and swallowed until they can absorb enough nutrients. They then spit them out.
A Complete List of What Giraffes Eat
Giraffes eat foods that include:
- Acacia trees
- Mimosa trees
- Leaves
- Seeds
- Buds
- Branches of trees
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Grass
Do Giraffes Eat Meat?
Being the highest and the largest animals in the world, You might wonder whether they rule the territory they are in. So, you can inquire if they can outrun other animals and consume their prey. Also, you could inquire:
Do Giraffes consume meat? The simple response is yes. Giraffes are herbivores; therefore, they eat only plants for survival. They also don’t get nutrition from meat, which is why they don’t consume meat. You can, however, be able to find them eating the bones of dead animals.
Giraffes are among the largest animals, which are a bit terrifying initially. As they are herbivores, there is no reason to be afraid of approaching them.
We’ll go over why they don’t consume meat and only eat plant-based foods. In this way, you’ll be able to understand that they’re harmless and safe to get close to.
Why Would a Giraffe Consume Meat?
In general, under suitable conditions, there’s plenty of food available for giraffes to consume well and absorb all the required nutrients. Browsing their favorite trees and having a wide range of options is the ideal lifestyle for a family with a giraffe.
In the drier months, food consumption is affected when there’s less food than giraffes. It is not just that there will eat less food available initially, but also the growth of the plants may be slowed due to similar conditions.
The Top Four Crazy Things Giraffes Eat
Acacia Trees with Big Thorns Giraffes are fond of eating the twigs and leaves that are part of Acacia trees. Acacia trees are armed with large sharp, white thorns to shield their succulent leaves from attacks. Giraffes don’t seem dissuaded by these thorns as they use their long, maneuverable tongues and firm lips to avoid them.
Chewing on Bones from the Past: Giraffes also chew on old bones. This is known as osteophagy. The antelopes, including giraffes, chew on bones whenever they require more calcium and phosphates in their diet, mainly if they are pregnant.
Prickly Pears Prickly Pears: This plant is packed with sharp spines in various sizes, making it difficult for many animals to consume. Giraffes feed on these plants in winter when they require extra nutrition. The fruits of a Prickly Pear are eaten by baboons, monkeys, particular antelope, and even humans.
The poisonous Euphorbia Trees species has a poisonous milky latex that could cause death if taken in large amounts. Giraffes eat the plant in small amounts in the winter. The poison gets into the animal’s bloodstream and kills all external and internal parasites from which the giraffes may be suffering. Crazy but smart!
What are the herbs that the giraffes eat?
What do giraffes like? What do they eat? The Giraffe is an herbivore hunter, which means it eats trees and shrubs. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), the Giraffe can alter its diet based on the tree or plant species found in each area. The most popular food for Giraffes is the leaves from the species of the acacia tree.
How long does a giraffe eat?
Giraffes can spend as much as 75% of the time taking a meal (18 hours). When they’re not searching for food or picking up leaves, they’re chewing their food (more about that in the next section).
The feeding rate peaks during the last and first hours of daylight, with intervals between meals being used to meditate. Ruminating is also a regular thing during the night because a giraffe gets minimal sleep. It is a long the longest!
Do Giraffes drink water?
Giraffes consume water, but much lower than what you’d imagine. An average adult Giraffe is estimated to drink 2 gallons (around 7.5 Liters) of water every week. Like we said, the difficulty of getting their heads down enough to drink places the giraffes in danger.
To prevent this from happening to avoid, giraffes obtain the majority of the water they require from the leaves they consume. If necessary, they can endure for months without any water drink.
If water is readily accessible, for instance, in a zoo environment without predators, giraffes consume 10 Gallons (38 liters) daily.
Conclusion
Giraffes consume between 16 to 20 hours each day, but they can only consume 30 kg (about 30 pounds) of foliage in that time. The two-ton animal can survive on just 7 kg (15 pounds) of leaves daily. Although the diverse diets of these explorers have been found to comprise as many as 93 species of plants, acacias are recognized as their primary food source.